Physical fitness tests in the French Foreign Legion

Reviewed September 2026

Physical fitness tests do not stop once you join the French Foreign Legion. Like other soldiers in the French Army, legionnaires have to complete regular physical fitness tests during their career.

These tests are different from the sports tests you do during selection. If you want to know about the pull-ups, Luc Léger and swimming test before joining, read my guide to the French Foreign Legion selection fitness tests.

Once you are serving, the annual physical fitness control is called the CCPM, or Contrôle de la condition physique du militaire. It has two parts: the CCPG, which tests general physical fitness, and the CCPS, which tests your ability to perform an operational task while tired.

How does the CCPM work?

Official Information

The CCPM is the complete physical fitness control. The current Army instruction divides it into two parts:

1. CCPG, Contrôle de la condition physique générale, which measures general physical fitness.
2. CCPS, Contrôle de la condition physique spécifique, which checks your ability to complete an operational task in a state of physical fatigue.

The current rules come from Instruction n° 1570/ARM/EMAT/SCOAT of 13 February 2025 for the French Army, and for the French Foreign Legion as well.

CCPG: general physical fitness

Official Information

The CCPG checks three physical abilities:

• Cardio endurance: 2,400 m run
• Swimming: 15 m completely underwater followed by 85 m swimming
• General muscular capacity: push-ups

Each test is scored out of 20 points, for a maximum CCPG score of 60. You need at least 31 points in total to reach the required level.

The official scoring system uses age groups. Your age for the table is the age you reach on 31 December of the notation year.

The 2,400 m run

The aim is simple: run 2,400 metres as fast as possible. The test is done on flat ground in sports clothing. Your time gives you a score from 0 to 20.

Experience

This is the cardio test I see most often today. It is also the easiest format to organize. Luc Léger and VAMEVAL need a suitable measured running area and an audio track to control the pace, while the 2,400 m only needs a measured course.

2,400 m score table

Score	18–21	22–37	38–41
20	9:10	8:45	9:10
19	9:25	9:00	9:25
18	9:40	9:15	9:40
17	9:55	9:30	9:55
16	10:10	9:45	10:10
15	10:25	10:00	10:25
14	10:40	10:15	10:40
13	10:55	10:30	10:55
12	11:10	10:45	11:10
11	11:25	11:00	11:25
10	11:40	11:15	11:40
9	11:55	11:30	11:55
8	12:10	11:45	12:10
7	12:25	12:00	12:25
6	12:40	12:15	12:40
5	12:55	12:30	12:55
4	13:10	12:45	13:10
3	13:25	13:00	13:25
2	13:40	13:15	13:40
1	13:55	13:30	13:55
0	14:10	13:45	14:10

Swimming: 15 m underwater + 85 m

Official Information

The swimming test starts immediately with 15 metres completely underwater. After that, you continue for another 85 metres of swimming.

Completing the full 15 m underwater and the remaining 85 m gives at least 10 points. Faster times can give up to 20 points.

Swimming score table

Score	18–21	22–37	38–41
20	1:45	1:30	1:45
19	1:54	1:39	1:54
18	2:03	1:48	2:03
17	2:12	1:57	2:12
16	2:21	2:06	2:21
15	2:30	2:15	2:30
14	2:39	2:24	2:39
13	2:48	2:33	2:48
12	2:57	2:42	2:57
11	3:06	2:51	3:06

• 10 points: complete 15 m underwater + 85 m swimming.
• 8 points: 10 to 15 m underwater and finish the full test.
• 7 points: 5 to 10 m underwater and finish the full test.
• 6 points: less than 5 m underwater and finish the full test.
• 4 points: complete 15 m underwater but do not finish the full test.
• 3 points: 10 to 15 m underwater and do not finish the full test.
• 2 points: 5 to 10 m underwater and do not finish the full test.
• 0 points: less than 5 m underwater and do not finish the full test.

Push-ups

Official Information

The third CCPG test measures general muscular capacity with push-ups. The number of correct repetitions gives you a score from 0 to 20.

Push-up score table

Score	18–21	22–37	38–41
20	45	50	45
19	42	47	42
18	39	44	39
17	36	41	36
16	33	38	33
15	30	35	30
14	28	32	28
13	27	29	27
12	25	28	25
11	24	26	24
10	22	25	22
9	21	23	21
8	19	22	19
7	18	20	18
6	16	19	16
5	15	17	15
4	13	16	13
3	12	14	12
2	10	13	10
1	9	11	9
0	7	10	7

CCPS: the operational fitness test

Official Information

The old 8 km run followed by shooting is no longer the current Army CCPS. The current test is a shoot after effort.

The test is continuous. First, you complete physical exercises designed to put you under fatigue, with 100 m running sections between them. You then go directly to a shooting test without recovery.

The shooting part uses three rounds, fired one by one with a light infantry weapon. The test is done in combat clothing and boots with a 5 kg military bag.

To validate the test at the highest level, you must finish in 4 minutes 45 seconds or less, complete the physical exercises without failure, place at least two of the three rounds on target and receive no coaching or correction during the shooting.

When do you pass the CCPM?

Official Information

The CCPM is an annual physical fitness control for serving soldiers.

Its results are part of your military record. Completing the required CCPM and other periodic tests is also one of the conditions for receiving the prime de compétences spécifiques de combattant terrestre.

At the execution level, this bonus is currently €105 per month. It can be awarded from 24 months of service. Higher qualification levels currently receive €140 or €160 per month. You can check the official rates and the official eligibility conditions on Légifrance.

Experience

During the four months of basic training at the 4e RE in Castelnaudary, recruits complete the CCPM at least once.

Normally, the Legion does not recruit candidates who cannot reach this physical level. If a legionnaire still fails one of the required physical tests during basic training, he has to repeat the corresponding UV, or unité de valeur, until he validates it.

Once you arrive in your regiment, the CCPM becomes part of your normal yearly military routine.

What happens if you fail?

Official Information

For the CCPG, you have to complete all three tests: running, swimming and push-ups.

The minimum is 31 points out of 60.

• Level 5: 51 to 60 points
• Level 4: 41 to 50 points
• Level 3: 31 to 40 points
• Level 2: 21 to 30 points
• Level 1: 20 points or less

If you score less than 31 points, you have to repeat all or part of the CCPG until you reach the required level.

For the CCPS, the system is different. Level 3 gives 40 points, Level 2 gives 10 points, and Level 1 gives 0 points. To reach Level 3, you must meet all the conditions described above.

Experience

During basic training, if a legionnaire fails one of the required physical tests, he has to repeat the corresponding UV until he validates it.

Once you are in a regiment, having to repeat a test is not the end of your career. But physical results matter. They are recorded and they are part of the way your overall performance is judged.

How is the complete CCPM scored?

Official Information

The complete CCPM combines the CCPG and CCPS results for a maximum of 100 points:

• Level 5: 81 to 100 points
• Level 4: 61 to 80 points
• Level 3: 41 to 60 points
• Level 2: 21 to 40 points
• Level 1: 0 to 20 points

My own result as an example

Experience

To give you a real example, one of my CCPG results was:

• 2,400 m: 9:25
• Swimming: 1:52
• Push-ups: 50

Using the current 22–37 scoring table, that gives 17 points for the 2,400 m, 17 points for swimming and 20 points for push-ups. The total is 54 points out of 60, which is Level 5 for the CCPG.

The important thing is that the CCPG is not about being exceptional in only one event. A strong overall result comes from being good across running, swimming and muscular endurance.

Why does your CCPM result matter?

Experience

Your physical results are part of your yearly evaluation, called notation in French.

A bad CCPM result will not destroy your career by itself, but it definitely does not help. In the Legion, your physical level is something people notice. If you are always struggling during sports tests, marches or field exercises, it becomes part of the image your superiors have of you.

Good results are especially important during your first years. You are competing with other legionnaires for courses, responsibilities and promotion.

If you are always behind physically, some of the guys who arrived with you can get promoted before you.

And yes, that means the guy who was sleeping next to you in Castel can become your caporal and one day tell you to do push-ups or go and mop the corridor.

Physical fitness matters in the Legion.

Should you train for the CCPM before joining?

Experience

Not specifically.

Before joining, your priority should be the tests you will actually face during selection: pull-ups, the Luc Léger test and swimming.

But if you arrive able to run well, swim comfortably and do clean push-ups, you will already have a good base for the CCPM later.

Do not build your preparation around chasing a perfect CCPM score before you even join. First, get selected. Then get through basic training. The rest comes after.

If you want to prepare for selection, use my French Foreign Legion fitness requirements guide and the Legion Training app.